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Scams Are Being Disguised as Facebook Videos, Better Business Bureau Warns

Have you ever received a strange Facebook message from a friend with a video link asking, "Is this you?" If not, you might see one soon, and if you do, you definitely don't want to click on that link — but it's not because your friend may have secret footage of you.

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Scam artists are hacking into Facebook accounts to send messages like this one to victims' friends to gain access to people's personal info and possibly send malware, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). These imposters know that most folks are more likely to accept messages from friends than from people they don't know, so scammers use the facade of a friend's account in the hopes that people click on the link, unknowingly handing over their account info or making themselves vulnerable to harmful malware or unwanted apps on their devices.

Unfortunately, this Facebook scam keeps spreading because too many people don't know that it's not their friends sending these links. That's why it's up to us to get the word out about this all-too-common phony message — and what to do if you get it yourself.

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How to Avoid a Facebook Video Scam

If you receive any unexpected and unsolicited messages with a link, do not click on the link, BBB experts warn. Instead, you should delete the message off of your device completely.

If you're not sure if a message you received is a scam or not, ask your friend directly if he or she sent it to you. If they say they didn't, chances are high that their account has been compromised by a hacker.

As a general rule, don't open any links from users or websites that you don't know. In the meantime, it's a good habit to be sure all your software is up-to-date on all your devices.